The University of Iowa wrestling team, ranked third nationally, defeated No. 19 Pittsburgh with a 36-0 shutout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday night. The Hawkeyes dominated the dual meet, recording 27 takedowns compared to just two by the Panthers and outscoring their opponents 99-32 in total match points.
Dean Peterson began the evening for Iowa at 125 pounds, securing a 4-1 decision over Tyler Chappell after scoring the only takedown in sudden victory. At 133 pounds, Drake Ayala earned bonus points for Iowa with a major decision win over Evan Tallmadge, finishing 13-4 after four takedowns.
Nasir Bailey contributed with a 4-2 decision at 141 pounds against Anthony Santaniello. Ryder Block added more bonus points at 149 pounds by defeating Kade Brown 12-2. Michael Caliendo delivered a technical fall at 165 pounds against Dylan Evans in just over five minutes, winning 22-6 after seven takedowns.
Patrick Kennedy achieved an 11-2 major decision victory at 174 pounds over Luca Augustine in what was described as the night’s first blood-round rematch. Gabe Arnold made his season debut at 184 pounds and secured a major decision win against Chase Kranitz with a score of 15-5.
In one of the key matches of the night at 197 pounds, Massoma Endene came from behind to upset Mac Stout. Trailing late in the match, Endene scored a decisive takedown near the edge of the mat with four seconds left to claim a narrow 5-4 victory. Endene said about his approach: “Just keep looking to score points,” Endene said. “Believe that I can keep going forward, looking for different opportunities. Of course, it is not ideal to get taken down in the first 10-20 seconds. Score fast, keep scoring, and keep looking to score points. That’s what we talk about in the room. It’s not really like, ‘Oh, I got taken down, now it’s time to put my head on the mat.’ It’s pop right back up and look for a different opportunity. It took me a while to get that other opportunity, but that is what it is about.”
Ben Kueter finished off the dual for Iowa by winning his heavyweight bout against Dayton Pitzer with a score of 2-0 in another blood-round rematch.
The event was attended by an audience of more than eleven thousand spectators.